Anurag Thakur hails Shabnam Jassal's India call-up in Sri Lanka
Synopsis
BJP MP Anurag Thakur congratulated Shabnam Jassal, a basketball player from Shekhupur village in Kangra district, for representing India at an international tournament in Sri Lanka, calling her achievement a source of pride for all of Himachal Pradesh.
Key Takeaways
Shabnam Jassal , from Shekhupur village in Kangra's Indora constituency , has been selected to represent India at an international basketball tournament in Sri Lanka .
BJP MP Anurag Thakur publicly congratulated Jassal on 20 October 2026 via a post on X.
Thakur described the achievement as a source of immense pride for all residents of Himachal Pradesh .
The MP expressed hope that Jassal's success would inspire youth across the state, especially young women, to pursue sports.
Thakur is a former Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports , lending added weight to his recognition of the athlete.
A village in Kangra district is putting Himachal Pradesh on the international basketball map. BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, extended warm wishes to Shabnam Jassal — an international basketball player from Shekhupur village in the Indora constituency — for representing India at an international tournament being held in Sri Lanka.
Posting in Hindi, Thakur opened with the rallying line 'हिमाचल की नारी, सब पर भारी!' — loosely, 'The women of Himachal, second to none!' — before naming Jassal's achievement as a source of immense pride for every resident of the state. 'This success,' he wrote, 'will inspire all the youth of the state, especially our daughters, to move forward in the field of sports.'
Shekhupur to the national squad
Shabnam Jassal's journey from a small village in Kangra to an international jersey encapsulates the kind of grassroots sports story that elected representatives across India frequently highlight — and that the country's athlete-development conversation increasingly depends on. Kangra district, tucked in the western Himalayas, is not traditionally associated with basketball, which makes the selection all the more striking. Thakur, who served as Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, has long championed athlete visibility as a tool for inspiring the next generation in states like Himachal where infrastructure can lag ambition.
Why Indora, why now
The Indora Vidhan Sabha constituency falls within Kangra, a district Thakur knows well given his own parliamentary base in neighbouring Hamirpur. By naming Jassal's village, her constituency, and her district explicitly, Thakur anchors the congratulation in hyper-local identity — a deliberate signal to young women in semi-rural Himachal that their geography is not a ceiling. The message closes with 'जय हिन्द, जय हिमाचल' — 'Victory to India, victory to Himachal' — a dual salute that frames Jassal's individual feat as both a national and a regional moment of pride.
Point of View
Constituency, and district signals to rural Himachal that the state's political leadership is watching grassroots talent. For a former sports minister, the shout-out carries institutional weight beyond a routine congratulation. The broader pattern is significant: as India pushes to deepen its sports pipeline beyond cricket, visibility for athletes from smaller states in non-mainstream sports like basketball becomes a quiet but meaningful policy lever. Whether state-level athlete support schemes follow such public recognition remains the real test.
NationPress
20 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Shabnam Jassal?
Shabnam Jassal is an international basketball player from Shekhupur village in the Indora Vidhan Sabha constituency of Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh, who has been selected to represent India at an international tournament in Sri Lanka.
Why did Anurag Thakur congratulate Shabnam Jassal?
BJP MP Anurag Thakur congratulated Shabnam Jassal for earning a place in the Indian basketball team for an international tournament held in Sri Lanka, calling it a proud moment for all of Himachal Pradesh.
Where is the international basketball tournament being held?
According to Anurag Thakur's post, the international tournament in which Shabnam Jassal is representing India is being held in Sri Lanka.
Which constituency is Shabnam Jassal from?
Shabnam Jassal is from the Indora Vidhan Sabha constituency in Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh.
What is Anurag Thakur's connection to sports?
Anurag Thakur served as India's Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports before continuing as BJP Lok Sabha MP from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, making him a prominent voice on athlete recognition and sports development.
